Philosophical Counselor, Ph.D.

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How do I know that I like this person? Some heuristics

Yesterday, I wrote about a handful of entrepreneurial principles to live by. The first principle from Martin Glaser was: “Only work with people you like.”

I haven’t addressed the epistemic question, however. It is: “How do I know that I like this person?” Well,

How well put together is this person? Is he intact, or is he falling apart at the seams?

Am I at peace with this person? Is she nourishing? (On the toxicity/nourishing distinction, see Glaser.)

Am I likely to do any good?

The questions should not be taken as a checklist or as a step-by-step guide. Rather, they should serve as heuristics: a set of tools to be used to help you make some sense of things. In my philosophical counseling practice, these are the questions I’ve begun asking myself during the initial conversation.